What Can YOU Do?

What you can do – as a guest and a backpacker in New Zealand

As travellers we all want to preserve the environments we travel through. Make sure you leave the world as you find it to help preserve our beautiful planet for generations of future backpackers.

Here are some tips…

Turn off the tap. The world is facing a serious water shortage, so turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving, share dish water with others and take short showers (or share them!).

Leave things as they are. Don’t leave any waste in natural areas, even seemingly harmless items like fruit cores or peelings. You could harm the local ecosystem.

Keep the air clear. Share transport where you can, take the bus, train, walk or bike. You’ll see a lot more. If you are tramping or biking you may qualify for our Low Carbon Traveller discount. Click here to find out more.

Plant some trees. We know it’s not a complete solution to reducing carbon emissions but by purchasing a native tree or shrub with our Green Footprint Project you can do your bit to improve New Zealand’s environment. Click here to learn more the Green Footprint Project.

Protect nature. Keep to the track, take care with fires and keep natural water clean by washing well away from the water source. Don’t feed kea or any other wildlife.

Buy smart. When purchasing products, check that you can recycle the packaging. Recycle brochures and guidebooks by passing them onto other travellers.

Use us. If you’re travelling around the country, don’t just throw away your plastic drink bottles or aluminium cans etc. Why not recycle them at the next YHA hostel you visit. We’re happy to take them!

Get a bit grungy. If you’re in pristine natural environments you don’t need to wash your hair or shave everyday as the detergents you use can be very harmful and it’s a waste of precious water. Use just enough water to stay clean and enjoy the chance to grow some serious body hair without your boss objecting!